Banana!!! I am going to tell you a (probably too long) story about my relationship with Bananas. I think it’s important to see my thought process that lead to choosing this matcha! Haha bear with me.

Bananas and I have a curious relationship. I don’t particularly enjoy them. Or their flavour. But sometimes I do. I crave them! What?! I loooathe those banana marshmallows, and banana runts were my least favourite! But that was when I was a kid – now I crave them! I despise the texture of eating a mushy banana, but I have fond memories of a Banana Curry I once had in Tonga. Sometimes I crave a peanut butter banana sandwich on soft white bread – oh, and I always love banana bread of any kind! I slather it with butter, yes, but I always love it! Bananas Foster in Cuba – that is also on my good list. Banoffee Pie? Yes. Frozen Banana from the fair? Yes. Banana in a smoothie? No. Somewhat strange and phallic cheesecake/phyllo banana dessert? Absolutely.

Phew – there’s my banana history in a nutshell. So I like bananas sometime! That’s the moral. Anyways – I was very curious about Red Leaf Tea’s Banana Matcha. I wondered what the flavouring would taste like – more like a banana-bread or more like a banana candy? Either way – I’ve been on a fruit flavoured matcha kick, and I knew I would prefer throwing some banana matcha into a smoothie as opposed to a real banana. Or even both – maybe I wouldn’t mind a real banana in there if there was some matcha too! A delve into the confusing workings of my mind x_x

Well! I do conclude that it leans more towards the sweet candy side of bananas – and for that I am a very happy camper! It smells so so sweet, just like the banana marshmallows I’ve come to crave – but the genius part is that you are in control of the amount of sweetener you add. Drinking a cup of this won’t have the same effect as eating a giant bag of candy marshmallows – although you will get a different kind of energy from the matcha :D
As always, you can find this matcha at Red Leaf Tea! ( http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/banana-matcha.html )

This matcha is amazing on its own, but I’m a masochist so I like to add just under a tsp of sugar. JK. It’s a perfectly acceptable amount of sugar and I do what I want. ;) As with most matchas, my favourite way to enjoy is in a hot latte. I’m still figuring out the logistics to a perfect iced latte or frappaccino, but when I do rest assured I will take a ton of pictures and blog it immediately :D

Yes, my relationship with banana is so similar! I don’t particularly like the fruit, even now. It’s OK, but, I mean, if I had an array of different fruit in front of me, it wouldn’t be the one I’d choose. But I MUST have banana in my smoothies. I love the various banana flavored teas I’ve tasted. And I’ve found several different other banana beverages that I’ve loved, including the new banana flavored slurpee from 7-11. (OMG so good!) I love banana milk shakes.

But banana candy … not so much. The banana runts – I hated them. My gramma used to make a banana cake that I really didn’t like (that was probably the only dessert that gramma made that I wasn’t crazy about). But I love banana bread, and I make a killer banana cupcake.

@Jess – my memories of this Curry are faint (I was young) but my mom and I wax poetic about it all the time. One day I’ll try some recipes and see if I can recreate it! It was savoury, not sweet, and the texture was really unique! Like a thick soup. mm!

@LiberTEAS – Banana slurpee?! Get me to a 7-11 stat! That sound soo good and it’s so hot out today! And a banana milk shake would be lovely. Reminds me that I used to cut up a banana, sprinkle brown sugar over it and pour milk in like cereal. Refreshing!
ps you can feed me your killer banana cupcakes anytime!

I have a love/hate relationship with bananas too.
I actually like the taste, but the texture is what gets to me!
I prefer my bananas on the firm/green side and when they are not as sweet.
Otherwise, in banana bread they go.
This tea sounds intriguing though.

You know I never much cared for banana flavoring. I like real bananas but the texture is a bit odd. I got over it in my crazy work out phase. It was one of the things I could eat to keep from getting so sore. :D

I too am the same way with bananas. The texture really bothers my throat (makes me cough for some reason) if I eat one straight up. And it took me years and years to find out why I hated Dole juice so much. For the longest time, the poor pineapple was thought as the culprit. Nope! Banana juice = blech. Yet give me banana bread or a peanut butter banana sandwich anytime. Or peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies.

I like my bananas underripe and with all stringy things removed. I’m really dodgy about them though, because one time I found… a thing in the butt of my banana. Reminiscent of a seed (but bananas are seedless), so thoughts went to BUG. And now if I eat them, I’m paranoidly tearing them apart to make sure I don’t eat anything icky. I also don’t care for banana bread, but adore banana in smoothies :D Bananas are a weird fruit.

I can no longer eat bananas because of allergy issues, but I’ve mostly never liked them. The scent and texture are just unbearable to me. But I’ve never minded banana-flavoured stuff (like candy) and I used to love banana chips (which basically eliminated the scent and texture issues).

In Ecuador there are so many types of banana and it is used in everything… From soups to just eating it raw. There are HUGE bananas and tiny miniature super sweet bananas. Though, I must admit, I have never had banana matcha!

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Yes, my relationship with banana is so similar! I don’t particularly like the fruit, even now. It’s OK, but, I mean, if I had an array of different fruit in front of me, it wouldn’t be the one I’d choose. But I MUST have banana in my smoothies. I love the various banana flavored teas I’ve tasted. And I’ve found several different other banana beverages that I’ve loved, including the new banana flavored slurpee from 7-11. (OMG so good!) I love banana milk shakes.

But banana candy … not so much. The banana runts – I hated them. My gramma used to make a banana cake that I really didn’t like (that was probably the only dessert that gramma made that I wasn’t crazy about). But I love banana bread, and I make a killer banana cupcake.

@Jess – my memories of this Curry are faint (I was young) but my mom and I wax poetic about it all the time. One day I’ll try some recipes and see if I can recreate it! It was savoury, not sweet, and the texture was really unique! Like a thick soup. mm!

@LiberTEAS – Banana slurpee?! Get me to a 7-11 stat! That sound soo good and it’s so hot out today! And a banana milk shake would be lovely. Reminds me that I used to cut up a banana, sprinkle brown sugar over it and pour milk in like cereal. Refreshing!
ps you can feed me your killer banana cupcakes anytime!

I have a love/hate relationship with bananas too.
I actually like the taste, but the texture is what gets to me!
I prefer my bananas on the firm/green side and when they are not as sweet.
Otherwise, in banana bread they go.
This tea sounds intriguing though.

You know I never much cared for banana flavoring. I like real bananas but the texture is a bit odd. I got over it in my crazy work out phase. It was one of the things I could eat to keep from getting so sore. :D

I too am the same way with bananas. The texture really bothers my throat (makes me cough for some reason) if I eat one straight up. And it took me years and years to find out why I hated Dole juice so much. For the longest time, the poor pineapple was thought as the culprit. Nope! Banana juice = blech. Yet give me banana bread or a peanut butter banana sandwich anytime. Or peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies.

I like my bananas underripe and with all stringy things removed. I’m really dodgy about them though, because one time I found… a thing in the butt of my banana. Reminiscent of a seed (but bananas are seedless), so thoughts went to BUG. And now if I eat them, I’m paranoidly tearing them apart to make sure I don’t eat anything icky. I also don’t care for banana bread, but adore banana in smoothies :D Bananas are a weird fruit.

I can no longer eat bananas because of allergy issues, but I’ve mostly never liked them. The scent and texture are just unbearable to me. But I’ve never minded banana-flavoured stuff (like candy) and I used to love banana chips (which basically eliminated the scent and texture issues).

In Ecuador there are so many types of banana and it is used in everything… From soups to just eating it raw. There are HUGE bananas and tiny miniature super sweet bananas. Though, I must admit, I have never had banana matcha!

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You can call me Daisy.

I’m a 24 year old (not so budding) thespian – just moved to the Maritimes from the Saskatchewan Prairies. I’m way too polite, aka Proud to be a Canadian. I love it here by the water – it must remind me of tea or something ;)

My favourite tea companies are DavidsTea and Verdant Tea. They please my palette in different ways – and I love them both for it.

My rating system is as follows:
95-100: I will stock it as soon as I can, if I haven’t already! Permanent collection worthy.

86-95: I would stock this tea if I could, but my collection is just too full to warrant it. But it is that good.

76-85: This is a tasty tea and I will have many cups and share with friends, but won’t go out of my way to keep it stocked.

50-75: It was alright! It was… alright! Not horrible, but I might not re-steep.

25-50: Ew. But I will finish the cup.

1-25: Please no, I want to dump it.

The Steepster community is my safe place. Thank you to all my tea friends!-